The month of October is recognized as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). With that being said, this month, this blog will discuss: the dynamics of domestic, information and resources for survivors of abuse, the impact of abuse on children, among other topics related to this pressing public health issue.

DATA:
• Between 3.3 million and 25 million children experience domestic violence in their homes each year.
• The average age of a homeless person in the U.S. is 9 years old. 50 percent of homeless women and children are
fleeing abuse in the home.
• Children who live in homes where their mothers are battered are 50% more likely to be beaten themselves. Research indicates that 50 to 70 percent of men who physically abuse their wives also frequently abuse their children.
• In one study, 27% of domestic homicide victims were children. When children are killed during a domestic dispute, 90% are under age 10; 56% are under age 2. Children from homes where their mothers is beaten suffer eating and sleeping disorders, have headaches, ulcers, rashes, depression, and anxiety caused by the trauma of witnessing abuse.
• They have a higher risk of abusing substances and becoming juvenile delinquents.
• Eighty percent of teen runaways and homeless youth come from violent homes.

•Girls from homes with domestic violence are 6.5 times more likely to be sexually assaulted and more likely to become pregnant as teenagers.
•A boy from a home where his mother is battered is 74% more likely to commit violence, including rape.
•Boys who grow up in non-violent homes have one chance in 400 of becoming abusive adults, but boys who grow up in violent homes have one chance in two of becoming abusive adults.
•Sixty-three percent of boys ages 11-20 arrested for homicide have killed their mother’s abuser.

How are children affected by domestic violence?
• They exhibit “failure to thrive” symptoms, even as infants.
• They may exhibit “general aggressiveness” or violence to siblings or the
“victim parent” in ways that emulate the abusive parent.
• They may exhibit a pattern of “over-compliance” and fearfulness.
• They often suffer from low self-esteem.
• They often suffer poor health.
• They may have poor impulse control.
• They often experience academic problems.
• They live frequently ”disrupted lives” when the victim is forced to flee the home.
• They, along with their mothers, comprise nearly 40% of the homeless population in the U.S.
• They are sometimes injured during violent incidents in the home or the family
vehicle.

• They are more often abducted by the abuser parent than other children.
• They may have a fear and distrust of close relationships.
• They may become conflicted in taking sides with parents.
• They experience confusion over correct behavior.
• They experience psychosomatic complaints, i.e., stomachaches, headaches, stuttering, anxiety, fear, etc.
• They experience “night terrors” (waking up screaming in the night).
• They may wet the bed.
• They kill themselves more often than children who do not live with abuse.
• They are likely to repeat learned behaviors.
• They blame themselves for the violence or the inability to stop it and protect the victim parent.
•They often experience PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

• They are more likely to be victim of child physical and sexual abuse, most often by the abuser parent and less often by the victim.
• They are four times as likely to be arrested eventually.
• They are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs.
• They are more likely to engage in antisocial behavior.
• They are more likely to commit crime against other persons and sexual assaults.

Domestic violence poses a clear and present danger for countless persons. The pervasive problem of domestic violence takes everyone to make it stop. Each year, across the country, the month of October is recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM).

Domestic Violence Awareness Month evolved from the first Day of Unity which was first observed in October, 1981 and spear-headed by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV). The intent of establishing the Day of Unity was to connect battered women’s advocates across the nation who were working to end violence against women and their children.

Soon, the Day of Unity became a week-long event where a range of activities were held at the local, state, and national levels. The activities conducted had common themes: mourning those who have died because of domestic violence, celebrating those who have survived, and connecting those who work to end violence.

Domestic violence can be eradicated with an equal amount of conscience, mind, heart, and collective action. During National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, each of us should commit ourselves to halting violence within our homes, our communities, and our nation.

Because October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, many of the posts in this blog will address issues related to breaking the cycle of violence and exposing myths about this phenomenon. Access to information is integral to breaking the cycle of violence. Toward that goal, we are directing your attention to very help informational resources related to domestic violence intervention, prevention, and community outreach. In this blog post, we will highlight the National Domestic Violence Hotline’s website.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline’s website contains a wealth of resources for both victims of domestic violence and their advocates. The National Hotlines website includes but is not limited to: the definition of domestic violence; tips on how you can help; a list of domestic violence hotlines; reference materials; and helpful links. For further information, please visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline website at http://www.thehotline.org/.

This is Voter Registration Day. Hard won voting rights have been under attack throughout the country. In the past few years, twenty-two (22 ) states have passed new laws restricting the right to vote and changing voter registration rules.

With that being said, even if you have registered vote you should check that you and the people most important to you are prepared to vote this year. Have you moved since last Election Day? Make sure you are registered to vote at your new address. Maybe your friends have moved recently and need to update their voting information.

This is National Voter Registration Week – get informed, get organized, get registered, get everyone you know registered. And then VOTE on November 6th. Take action that can and will change the future. If you are not already registered, get registered to vote. Seize the opportunity to cast your vote.

As was aptly stated by President Johnson when discussing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, “The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men.”

On election day, vote take a friend with you. Your vote can be decisive, stand up, speak out, be heard— cast your vote!

Join the battle against breast cancer. The month of October has been designated as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). It has been reported that the first NBCAM program took place in October 1985. It was a week-long event. The overarching objective of the event was to fill the information void in public communication about breast cancer.

Despite on-going cancer research, cancer still attacks 10,000,000 people per year worldwide. Annually, 1.3 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer and nearly 555,000 people will die in our nation this year alone. According to the CDC, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women.

In 2006 (the most recent year numbers are available)—

191,410 women were diagnosed with breast cancer.*†

40,820 women died from breast cancer.*†

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, aside from skin cancer.[i] Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women (after lung cancer).[ii]

Although African-American women have a slightly lower incidence of breast cancer after age 40 than Caucasian women, they have a slightly higher incidence rate of breast cancer before age 40.[iii] However, African-American women are more likely to die from breast cancer at every age. Breast cancer is much less common in males; by comparison, the disease is about 100 times more common among women.[iv] According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 1,910 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among men in the United States in 2009.[v]

It has been reported that cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and accounted for 7.6 million deaths (around 13% of all deaths) in 2008. This year, according to the American Cancer Society, approximately 40,000 Americans will die from breast cancer .

Nationwide, health care costs associated with breast cancer totaled $16.5 billion in 2010 and resulted in $12.1 billion in lost productivity, according to an estimate by the National Cancer Institute.

In response to the growing number of Americans that are dying of breast cancer, legislation was proposed in the House of Representatives and in the Senate to facilitate collaboration in addressing this pressing public health issue.

H.R.1830 — 113th Congress (2013-2014)

The Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act of 2013 was introduced in the US House of Representatives on May 6th, 2013 by Representative Capito and Shelley Moore.

The Act directs the President to establish the Commission to Accelerate the End of Breast Cancer to help end breast cancer by January 1, 2020.The Commission to Accelerate the End of Breast Cancer fills a void in federal research efforts by facilitating collaboration between agencies, disciplines, and sectors, and by highlighting promising research pathways that are not currently prioritized or funded.

Further, the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act of 2013 directs the Commission to: (1) identify opportunities and ideas within government and the private sector that are key components in achieving the end of breast cancer and which have been overlooked, yet are ripe for collaboration and investment; (2) recommend projects to leverage such opportunities and ideas in the areas of the primary prevention of breast cancer and the causes and prevention of breast cancer metastasis; and (3) ensure that its activities are coordinated with, and do not duplicate the efforts of, programs and laboratories of other government agencies.

The afore-referenced Act, also directs the President to enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine for an evaluation of the Commission’s progress. In the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act of 2013, the Commission terminates on June 1, 2020.

865: Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act

U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) cosponsored bipartisan legislation, Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act, to create a national commission dedicated to advancing breast cancer research and ending breast cancer by 2020. In the Senate, efforts to pass the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act is led by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.). The bill has thirty bipartisan cosponsors in the Senate and a House companion bill has one hundred and ninety-two cosponsors.

Like the House version of the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act of 2013, it establishes the Commission to Accelerate the End of Breast Cancer to help end breast cancer by January 1, 2020.

The legislation directs the Commission to identify, recommend, and promote initiatives, partnerships, and research within the public and private sectors, basic and applied sciences, and epidemiology that can be turned into strategies to prevent breast cancer and breast cancer metastasis while giving priority to those that are: (1) not prioritized within the public sector, and (2) unlikely to be achieved by the private sector due to technical and financial uncertainty.

It requires the Commission to: (1) submit within six months to the President and to the relevant congressional committees a description of the Commission’s strategic plan; (2) submit an annual report to the President, Congress, and the public; and (3) ensure that its activities are coordinated with, and do not duplicate the efforts of, programs and laboratories of other government agencies.

Further, it directs the President to enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine to evaluate the Commission’s progress. The Commission terminates on June 1, 2020.

Sources: www.congress.gov. Congressional Research Service (CRS) created the summary of the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act of 2013. CRS is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress. U.S. Senator Chris Coons’ website.